North Carolina veteran with PTSD says he can’t bring his service dog to work

HIGH POINT, N. C. (WGHP) -- A Gulf War veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder says he’s having trouble being able to bring his service dog to work.

Ronnie Massey works for the City of High Point and said his request for accommodations keeps going back and forth.

“She goes to church with me, she goes to the gym with me, she goes everyplace I go, but work,” Massey said, referring to his service dog Lusa, who helps him with his PTSD.

Massey said for nearly four months, he’s applied to bring her with him to his job at the City of High Point, a job he’s had for 11 years.

Massey said concerns came because Lusa is part Rottweiler. He said the city offered to move him to the sewage plant where he said Lusa would have to be tethered, or another office where he said Lusa couldn’t go.

Kat Carter trained Lusa and said Lusa is similar to necessary medical equipment, no different from a wheelchair or oxygen tank.

Carter said more and more veterans are using service animals to battle PTSD and are having a hard time gaining reasonable accommodations.

Massey plans to keep appealing to get a fair accommodation.

The City of High Point said it can't legally comment on Massey's request, but it follows all laws when it comes to making reasonable accommodations for service animals.